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Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt
Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt is a 1941 Merrie Melodies short directed by Friz Freleng. Plot Bugs is reading "The Song of Hiawatha" out loud to himself, and the saga turns real as a pint-sized, Elmer Fudd-like Hiawatha (minus the speech impediment) turns up, paddling his canoe. Hiawatha is looking for a rabbit for his dinner. In a key sequence (replayed in a later cartoon - see below), Hiawatha tricks Bugs into thinking he is preparing a hot bath for him. It is actually a cooking pot, which Bugs quickly vacates once Hiawatha casually mentions that he is having rabbit stew for supper. As with Elmer, Bugs spends the rest of the cartoon tormenting his would-be devourer, who finally breaks his arrows in anger and disgust, and paddles his canoe away while Bugs finishes his reading of the poem. However, the miffed-looking Hiawatha suddenly returns to the foreground where Bugs is reading the narrative, and after a second of wordless staring at each other, Hiawatha gives Bugs the "insulting kiss" that the bunny usually bestows on others. Hiawatha then paddles away again, as Bugs "spits out" the kiss. Censorship Due to its stereotypical portrayal of Native Americans, this cartoon -- and "What's Cooking, Doc?", which featured a clip from this short -- were pulled from Cartoon Network's 2001 June Bugs marathon by its then-current owner, AOL Time Warner. However, it should be noted that this cartoon aired on Cartoon Network before (often on Thanksgiving Day), as evidenced by the first video shown on this page.http://www.intanibase.com/gac/looneytunes/censored-h.aspx Notes * In 1995, the original opening and credits were restored for the American and European 1995 Turner dubbed prints, but the original ending was hacked off by the 1938 Merrie Melodies dubbed closing card (though the original ending music cue is kept intact on both dubbed version prints). The original closing was restored with the original titles when the cartoon was released on DVD on February 12, 2008 on Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection. This restored print was double-dipped in the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 3 release for DVD and Blu-ray. * The Blue Ribbon print from the LaserDisc has the original closing, like most Schlesinger-credited Blue Ribbon reissues.http://my.mail.ru/mail/1217527/video/82850/85214.html * The cooking-pot sequence from this cartoon would be directly incorporated three years later in the 1944 Bugs Bunny cartoon "What's Cookin' Doc?", directed by Bob Clampett, although Bugs' facial appearance had subtly changed in the interim. The central joke in that film is Bugs losing the Oscar to fellow Warner actor James Cagney. Showing clips specifically from Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt provides some context to that storyline. * The cartoon itself was nominated for an Oscar for best Animated Short Film, however, it didn't win.http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1942 * The copyright was renewed in 1969. * The 1944 BR reissue of this cartoon is very unique unlike the other BR reissues, as it has Bugs Bunny on top of the WB shield, also this is the only unique BR reissue with the opening. ** However, unlike all of the times Bugs Bunny has been on the shield from 1941-1944, there is a small goof; Bugs Bunny always bites on his carrot twice. But in the BR opening, he bites it only once, and munches on the carrot for a much longer time. Though when Bugs reappears on the WB shield from 1945-1949 with the updated character design by Robert McKimson, he bites on his carrot only once and munches on the carrot for a much shorter time. Availability * (1986) VHS - Bugs Bunny Cartoon Festival, Little Red Riding Rabbit (Blue Borders, Blue Ribbon, original closing) * (1992) LaserDisc - The Golden Age of Looney Tunes (Blue Borders, Blue Ribbon, original closing) * (2006) Blu-ray, DVD - The Maltese Falcon (DVD: 1995 Turner dubbed version, Blu-ray: restored, original titles, restored closing) * (2008) DVD - Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection (Original titles, restored closing) * (2014) Blu-ray, DVD - Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 3 (Original titles, restored closing) Gallery 61QwxFuhKtL._SL1162_.jpg|Lobby Card MV5BMzg0NGRmMzctZDRkYy00MjQyLTk5Y2ItNzk0ZDZjY2RkNTZjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTk4MDgwNA@@. V1 SY1000 CR0,0,1013,1000 AL .jpg MV5BMmM1ZTgyNTktNzY4ZS00NDNmLTk3NGYtYjY4NTQxODVmZWFjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzg5OTk2OA@@. V1 .jpg Bugs-Bunny-in-Hiawathas-Rabbit-Hunt-Vintage.jpg Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt Super 8mm Home Movie.jpg tumblr_mw0v3mBciL1s92nono1_1280.jpg|Model sheet References External Links *Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt CHOF *Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt at SuperCartoons.net Category:Bugs Bunny Cartoons Category:Cartoons directed by Friz Freleng Category:Academy Award nominees Category:Shorts Category:1941 Category:Merrie Melodies Shorts Category:Blue Ribbon reissues Category:Cartoons written by Michael Maltese Category:Cartoons with music by Carl W. Stalling Category:Cartoons with film editing by Treg Brown Category:Cartoons with sound effects edited by Treg Brown Category:Cartoons with orchestrations by Milt Franklyn Category:Cartoons produced by Leon Schlesinger Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Mel Blanc Category:Cartoons in a.a.p. package Category:Re-released cartoons whose original titles are known to exist